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Cornershop Heroes #4: The Pest Control Man

Every cornershop relies on a network of corner-shaped professionals. In this thrilling mini-series we meet some of the behind-the-scenes men and women that keep the indie retail world going.

Eurgh! Bugs! Pests! Mice…or worse! Yup – even if you are part of the 5% of the population that is fascinated by our cities’ low-life and vermin, you will have to agree that they are not good for business. Any retail business in London (and most big, old cities) that claims not to need a pest control contract is, frankly, living in denial.

And before you ask: Mr. & Mrs. S. have not (now, or ever) got (or had) bugs, or pests, or mice. But you know that old thing about you never being more than 6 feet away from a rat when you live in London? And you know that (wonderful wonderful) film Joe’s Apartment? These little things all resonate with Mrs.S. Prevention is most definitely better than panic in this case, and whilst Master Shopcat has his moments, they rarely coincide with the moments that he is actually required to do anything. And so, yes, they have a bug blasting agent, a jolly giant of a man called Adrian (that’s him in the picture – give him a cheery wave) from a very nice family company called Beaver House. It took a while before Mr.S. could convince Mrs.S. not to call Adrian every time she saw a spider, but they have now been working together happily for over ten years.

Adrian is one of the more heroic of our cornershop heroes, as he has to deal with stuff that would send most of us scrambling for the nearest chair or at the very least squealing in horror. Somewhat disturbingly, most pest controllers seem to be infeasibly happy in their job, and Adrian is no exception. He will regale you with tales of horrific infestations elsewhere using the same tone that most people use to tell bedtime tales. He is also, somewhat worryingly, a keen cook. Best not to dwell on this fact too long.